Fairywings II: Prisoner of Alcatraz
by demented cookies
Summary: Sequel to Fairywings. Artemis is still in SF and he thinks Lauryn knows nothing of the people. He doesn't know how wrong he is. And Mulch is in trouble. Can they save Mulch without getting themselves killed too?
1. Prologue

Prologue

I sat on the deck in the backyard of my house in San Francisco, my legs dangling over the side, my elbows resting on my lap. The sun was just setting over the horizon. The sky was a bright red, it looked like blood had stained the sky and a giant had tried to paint over it with orange. My dad had told me once that if you listened closely, you could hear the hissing sound of the sun sinking beneath the water, but after learning about the solar system in the third grade, I had given up trying to hear it.

I sort of pitied the People, living underground and never seeing a sunset like this. Thinking of the People made me think of Holly. I didn't pity her. In fact I kind of envied her for her job, what she does everyday. I bet she must have saved plenty of people's lives from humans and trolls and evil pixies like (what did Artemis call her?) Opal Koboi. Something like that. She saved all of Haven less than a week ago, of course with the help of Artemis, Butler, and yours truly.

I chuckled. Just thinking about those two misfits, Bobb and Unix, made me laugh. How they totally screwed up their plan to get revenge on Captain Short. Thinking back on that night we caught them, I realize that it reminded me of games with Sarah and the rest of the basketball team. Just like on the court, I had to stay focused and alert and be aware of who had the ball, in this case, the gun.

It all worked out in the end, though. We caught the crooks and we fixed the equipment and, of course, Foaly got better. If he didn't, we would probably still be wondering what to do. I feel a little guilty for lying to Holly and Artemis. I know I'm no threat to the People and I know there's no risk of me exposing their existence, but I understand why they would try to mind wipe me. No one knows me as well as I know me.

Still, It's a good thing I had decided to keep that remote for a while. I had tinkered with it and out of pure luck I managed to make it seem like it wasn't working. So when Foaly and the gang tried mind wiping me, they thought it worked. It didn't really. Then I realized how easy it was to fake amnesia and unconsciousness.

I wonder what Artemis would say if he knew…

**A/N: I hope you all liked the prequel: Fairywings. If you didn't read it, stop right there! This will be a real spoiler! In fact, the prologue itself was a spoiler. **


	2. The Warden's Money

Chapter one: The Warden's Money

Mulch Diggums was eating. As usual. He was eating _and_ digging. As usual. But this time he wasn't posing as a billionaire in LA. He wasn't pretending to be a crook in Chicago. No, actually, he wasn't planning on being seen at all. By anyone. He stopped to take a rest and check the map. Carefully, his finger followed the line. Alcatraz.

According to a story, the former warden of Alcatraz had buried money somewhere on the grounds. The money had been for buying food and clothing for the prisoners. The warden would dig it back up when he retired. He would have been a rich man if the police hadn't found him out and arrested him. He was sent to a jail way across the city. When the money wasn't found he was set free but prohibited to enter Alcatraz. The money is what Mulch was trying to find.

At last, Mulch started off again. He had been on the "road" for three days and he wasn't going to stop now.


	3. The RedHaired Woman and Her Cronies

Chapter two: The Red-Haired Woman and Her Cronies

Lauryn lay on her bed rotating the remote in her hand. She flicked a switch. Suddenly the house was black.

"Lauryn!" Lila, her sister, whined from the bottom bunk. "Quit playing with the lights!" Lauryn flicked the switch back.

She wondered what Artemis would say if he knew she still knew of the People. He would probably tell Holly. Then she would probably tell Foaly. Then he would probably mind wipe me for real this time. She decided not to tell.

When Mulch reached the surface he instinctively reached for his sun block. But the room was dark. He felt around. The floor felt like rock. So did the walls. He thought he must be off by a few hundred yards. As his eyes adjusted to the dark he saw barred windows. _Am_ _I in Alcatraz? _He thought.

Before he could dive back in his hole, he saw a light at the end of the hall. Unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him and he crept closer. He heard course laughter and the jingling of coins.

"How much is there?" A voice said. The voice was definitely male, hoarse but young.

"$300 at least," another voice said. This one was female. "Plus a credit card. This lady was so dumb, she put her bank account pin number on a piece of paper here.

"Now I can finally get that car I wanted," said yet another voice.

"What're we goin' to do with the lady?" another voice said.

"Dump 'er," the female said. "We're twenty feet above the water. The sharks'll get a free lunch." Mulch heard shouts of agreement.

Again Mulch crept closer, eager to know what was going on. He peeked through the door. Inside was a crowd of ten or so people, made up mostly of men, with a few women scattered here or there. In front was a woman standing on a crate. She had flaming red hair and wore a black leather jacket. She looked like the leader or the boss.

"How're we gonna spend the loot?" A man shouted.

"You're each gonna git yer share," the red-haired woman said. "I don't care if you spend it on a rock."

"How much're we gonna get?" a woman called.

"When we count it up," the leader said, "and empty her bank account, we'll divide it like the good natured crooks we are."

"Why don't we just split the money we got now?" A man said. Cries of agreement flooded the room.

"Shuttup," the woman shouted. "You'll get it."

"Now!" a few people shouted. The group started arguing. Some wanted it right then and there but some wanted to wait for the rest of the money. Mulch spotted the purse the money was in right behind the red-haired woman. He used that moment to sneak up and try to get it. He crept silently around the crowd, taking advantage of the commotion.

He reached forward, the purse just a foot away.

"What the hell are you doing?" A voice demanded.


	4. A Subtle Clue

Chapter three: A Subtle Clue

_Swish!_ was the sound the ball made as it fell through the hoop. "Nice one," Sarah said.

"Thanks," Lauryn replied. "I've been working on that shot for months."

"How are you tolerating the nerd?" Sarah said as she shot and missed.

"Nerd?"

"Don't play dumb," said Sarah. "Artemis Fowl happens to be the smartest kid in Europe. Maybe even the world."

"That doesn't necessarily mean he's a nerd."

"Have you seen him do anything than sit in front of his laptop burning his eyes out?"

_Yes_ "No."

"Exactly."

They ended it at that.

_D'arvit!_ Mulch swore. _Caught!_ Then he realized the speaker wasn't talking to him.

"Nothin'" another man said and pushed him away…into a woman with dark hair and dark skin. She cried out and socked him in the face. That started a fight. Mulch took advantage of this and crept up to the purse once more. Just as he grabbed it he spotted a very blonde, very fashionably dressed, very scared young woman.

Ever since he and Holly had become private investigators, Mulch had gotten used to helping people out. He cut the rope around her wrists and ankles and took off her gag. The woman wasted no time. Without getting her purse, she darted into the hallway and out of sight.

Lauryn fell asleep in her chair at 11:30. Again. As Artemis was heading to the sleeping courters, he couldn't help but see that she had her notebook/diary on her lap.

_12-22-06_

_I played ball with Sarah today. She asked me how I _

_was tolerating having a genius nerd like Artemis around._

"Genius _nerd?_" Artemis said aloud.

_Personally, I don't think Artemis is a _nerd_. But I must _

_admit he is a genius. She also thought he's never done_

_anything athletic or has much of a social life. I agree_

_I've never seen him do anything athletic or social_

It stopped there. She must have fallen asleep then. But what she wrote worried him. Wasn't she mind wiped? Still, most anyone who knew Artemis knew he was a genius. And the only time she had seen him do anything even remotely athletic or social was before she was mind wiped. Or was she…?

"Hey! Who's that? And what the," the gang member said a word that I don't feel comfortable typing, "is it doing here?" Mulch realized he had been spotted.

"He took our freaking money!"

"What is it?"

"Told you we shoulda split the loot when we had a chance!"

_Took our freaking money? _Much to his dismay, he also realized the money was gone. The last thing he realized before someone knocked him out was that single one of them was armed.


	5. He Speaks!

Chapter four: He speaks!

Mulch awoke hours later with a headache. He opened his eyes slightly. Billions of pins and needles stung his head and he had to close his eyes again.

"He took our freaking money!" A voice said.

"What is it?" Another asked.

"I dunno," someone else replied. "But it smells pretty bad."

"Ditto," someone else said, "smells like scorched bacon on a rock in the desert." He did. The warm sun shone down on him through the open window.

"What're we goin' to do with it?"

"Nothing till we find out what he is and where he put the money."

Just dig out, Mulch thought, just dig out. He opened his mouth and bit but he only found air—he was chained to the wall. He was in a prison. And he was the prisoner.

"Lookee here," a voice sneered, "It's awake. And it wants its mommy." This bothered Mulch quite a bit and he took it upon himself to even the score.

"For your information," he retorted, "I am not an 'it', I am a 'he.' And no, I do not want my mommy."

"It talks!" The man exclaimed wide-eyed.

"Where'd you put the money?" the red-haired woman said shoving the man aside.

"What money?" Mulch put on his best innocent-kitten look, which is very difficult when you're covered with a stinky, dirty bush of a beard.

"The money you took, stupid!"

"I didn't take any money."

"Quit lying," the woman threatened, "Do I have to mention that I'm armed?" It was now Mulch saw how tall she was. She must have been at least

"Do I have to mention that as soon as I'm free of these chains I'll bite your head off?" Mulch gave up on looking innocent.

She looked somewhat surprised for a moment but that moment was soon over and she sneered, "you're a funny little man."

"I'm perfectly serious," Mulch said with a very serious expression on his hairy face.

She looked surprised again and a little frightened, but then she scowled and said to on of the men, the one with dark hair and a beard, "keep a close eye on him. Do not leave this room or take an eye off him without my permission."

The man nodded and started playing with his pocket knife, all the time burning Mulch with his everlasting stare.


	6. Arty Gets Warmer

Chapter five: Artemis Gets Warmer

"Oh, seriously?" Lauryn said, "That's so funny! It reminds me of this joke my friend told me. It goes: Knock knock."

"Who's there?" The person Lauryn was calling said.

"Amos."

"Amos who?"

"A mosquito bit me!" Lauryn and the other girl burst into a fit of laughter. "That's not all! Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Andy."

"Andy who?"

"Andy bit me again!" More giggles.

In the other room, Artemis was puzzled, a feeling he didn't get often. It worried him. _How much does she know? Does she still…? No. She couldn't. I witnessed her mind wiping. She couldn't fool Foaly._

Mulch's guard was feeling uncomfortable. Mulch couldn't blame him. The smell in the room was unbearable. It smelled like sulfur and rotten vegetables. The guard adjusted the clothespin on his nose and continued to stare at Mulch.

"Hi," Mulch said, "you know how these chains feel? They're rubbing against my sides and I think I'm going to get a rash. I hate rashes."

"Shut up," the guard said.

"Could you loosen them just a little? I'm getting kind of uncomfortable. I know you're a real sweetie."

The guard stopped playing with his knife. He didn't say anything, just stared. Very creepy. "C'mon, honey," Mulch said, "you could loosen them just a little."

"Just a little," the guard muttered. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Stupid enough to loosen them."

"For the last time, shut up."

"Please? Alright, I give in. I'll get you the money if you loosen the chains just a bit, so I can reach."

The guard moved closer uncertainly. Key in hand, he reached for the lock…

_Knock knock knock!_ went the door. The guard caught himself just in time. "You're not getting the better of me again," the guard said.


	7. The TattleTale Diary

Chapter six: The Tattle-Tale Diary

Lauryn had fallen asleep in her chair again. With her notebook/diary on her lap. Open. Again. And again, Artemis couldn't help but look. He was suspicious of what she knew.

_Dec. 23, 2006_

_I've still got the remote on my bedside table. I'm_

_counting the days before Artemis finds it. When he_

_does, he'll probably question me. I'm still thinking_

_about what I'd say if he did. Would I say that I found _

_it? He wouldn't believe that. Maybe I could say that_

_I made it in science class. I might but we haven't even_

_touched electronics. He wouldn't believe me anyway._

_Only a genius could make something like it. I think I _

_know who made it. _

_I found a pile of papers underneath_

_a seat in the Bentley. The first few pages I thought were_

_Egyptian hieroglyphs. They weren't. They were the _

_written language of the fairies. The last pages was the _

_translation. I brought it into my room and spent the _

_night trying to figure it out. I think I succeeded. I _

_remember the first few lines were: _Carry me always

carry me well. I am thy teacher of herb and spell.

_Or something like that. I think I've figured out how to read _

_it. I wrote down a chart of the symbols. _

_On the back of the remote, there're some _

_symbols. Using the chart I made and a magnifying glass,_

_I decoded the symbols easily. They read: _Koboi

Labs._ So I think the maker is someone named_

_Koboi. I should tell Artemis. But I can't. He still doesn't_

_know that I know of the People. I wonder if I should tell _

_him. He wouldn't get mad…Would he?_

It ended. Artemis wasn't mad. He was confused. How did Lauryn escape the mind wipe? Even he himself wasn't able to. Was Lauryn more of a genius than him? Impossible. What…then it hit him. _The remote!_ How could he have forgotten? What did she do?


	8. Confession

Chapter seven: Confession

Lauryn awoke the next morning in her chair. Her diary was still open on her lap. Immediately, she closed it. She couldn't risk anyone seeing what she wrote. For all she knew, someone could have seen already.

Artemis seemed to sense her wake. He entered the living room. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. "You must have been tired last night. You fell asleep right in your chair."

"Um," Lauryn said, "yeah, must have. Morning."

"Do you want to take a walk? I can take you down to the basketball court. It would be nice to get some fresh air."

"Oh, um, sure."

Artemis gestured to the door. "When you're ready."

Quickly, Lauryn slipped her Crocs on and joined him. "Ready."

As soon as they stepped out of the door, Artemis asked her softly, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" She said. She wasn't sure what to expect.

"How did you escape the mind wipe?"

"I don't…you didn't…" Lauryn gasped. Had he seen what she wrote?

"Yes, I saw your diary. Forgive me," Artemis said. "But even I could not escape the mind wipe. How did you do it?"

"The remote thingee," Lauryn said matter-of-factly. "Duh."

"Foaly is hardly wrong," Artemis said. "He would know if his equipment was going wrong."

"I toyed with it. I thought, if this wire goes there and that wire goes there, I should get a better result when I pressed this button." Lauryn shrugged.

Artemis smiled. Even though he and Lauryn weren't even related, she was a genius after his own heart. A genius. He never thought of her like that. He always thought of her like he thought of Juliet. Athletic, moderately smart. That stuff.

"Of course," continued Lauryn, "if I put this cord here and attached this wire to it and then rearranged the hard drive's place and put this wire over here, I might get a whole new reaction. But then, the battery would only last for a day or two, so if I put the cable with the red tape around it over here and attached it to the cable with the blue tape wrapped around it, I would get a whole different effect. But if I attached this wire to that wire, and then flicked this switch, every machine within 20 feet would still appear to be working but it wouldn't be able to do whatever that certain machine could usually do. Of course, I would never have bothered to do this if you and Holly weren't preparing to mind wipe me, which, obviously, I knew all about long before it happened. And of course I knew about the _mesmer_. I read all about that in those Gnommish notes I found in the Bentley. And so I knew to wear something that would deflect the _mesmer_. Obviously, sunglasses wouldn't work because they are completely visible, so the only thing was mirrored contact lenses. Luckily, my mom, who is a nurse, makes my dad wear prescription sunglasses and contact lenses that are basically sunglasses except in contact lens form and since my eyesight is almost as bad as my dad's, I wore the mirrored contact lenses that belong to my dad. And obviously, since I found no trace of any power to mind wipe in the notes, to mind wipe someone one had to use a machine or something artificial which I knew the remote could…"

Artemis clamped a hand over Lauryn's mouth. "I think I get the picture."

Lauryn smiled.


	9. The Adventure Begins

Chapter eight: The Adventure Begins

Holly Short had never been known to snore, but then again, she had never been known to sleep very much, so no one knew for sure. Right now, she was slumped over her desk and drooling all over her papers. Private investigating seemed to have that effect on most fairies. Especially when one's partner was on vacation. Holly didn't know why Mulch was in San Francisco, but she was pretty sure he wasn't there for the weather.

A vibration came from beneath a pile of papers. Holly woke with a start and started digging beneath the pile. Her phone was ringing. "Text messaging," she mumbled. "How prehistoric."

She read the words.

HLP. LCKED IN ALCTRZ. UNDR GRD. MST GET OUT.

PLZ CME. BRNG ARTY IF PSSBLE. THX.

It was from Mulch. He was locked up in Alcatraz. Holly wiped the sleep from her eyes and contacted Foaly. She'd need some wings.

"I've got just the thing for you," Foaly said trotting over to a wall covered in racks. Pairs of wings hung from the racks. "Hummingbird 4000. Newest model. Silent as a whisper and can fly up to 95 mph. Of course, you wouldn't want to do that. It'll knock the air right out of your lungs."

He picked a fast looking pair of wings from the rack. "Extremely light too. You'll hardly realize you have it on."

"Wow," Holly breathed. "You sure I should take this? I might get captured by humans."

"Don't worry, there's a self destruct." He trotted over to another wall this one was covered in weapons. "Let's see…what shall I arm you with? Do you still like the Neutrino 3000?"

"Well…"

Foaly didn't let her finish. "Neutrino 3000 it is."

"Let me come too," Lauryn complained.

"No," said Artemis.

"Why not?" She protested.

"You could get hurt," Artemis said. Even as the words came out of his mouth he realized that was the lamest answer ever.

"I'll be careful. Besides, I'm as much a genius as you. After all, I was the one who escaped the mind wiping."

"The one thing you lack is experience."

"And I'll never have experience unless I get it in groove."

She was right, and Artemis knew it. "It's dangerous," he warned. At least now she couldn't say he didn't warn her.

"So's driving. And fighting fairies in abandoned theaters. And LEP shuttles. And disaster sights."

Artemis smiled. He was getting to like her way of thinking.

"What about me?" Butler asked.

"You're coming too, obviously," Artemis said. "Prepare for the worst."

"You ready?" Holly asked Artemis on the lawn of Parkside Square. Few were likely to see them there.

"Yes," Artemis replied. "And…um…" he rubbed the back of his neck. The time had come to confess Lauryn's memory.

Holly crossed her arms. "What now?"

"Lauryn…remember Lauryn? …well she, um, she escaped the mind wipe."

"She what?" Holly hissed. Artemis winced. This wasn't going very well.

"She escaped the mind wipe." Artemis repeated.

"She…I can't believe it…she tricked Foaly?"

"Yes."

"That has only been done by two people. Is she aware that she's the first female human to do that? Her! A human! A girl!"

"Yes, exactly. And she's coming with us."

Holly's jaw fell open. "She's what?"

"Oh, quit it," Lauryn said. It would have made a great seen in a movie. She emerged from the thick fog and into view of the ex-captain. "I'm coming no matter what. Artemis already warned me of the danger. I'm coming with you."

"Why?" Holly asked herself. "Why am I the one always getting mixed up with the mud men? First the first human to come in contact with the People, then the first human to have befriended us, then the first human to have total recall after a mind wipe, now the first and youngest female human to trick Foaly and assist us."

"What about Minerva Paradizo?" Artemis said.

"Are you kidding? She thought I was a demon!"

Butler sighed dramatically. "Can we go?"

We went.


	10. Alcatraz

Chapter nine: Alcatraz

We arrived at Alcatraz at about 1:00 am. It was still dark.

"This cam foil is itchy," Lauryn complained, pulling it off.

"Talk to Foaly," Holly said. "He invented it."

We entered the building. It was almost too dark to see. Lauryn had been there once or twice, but that had been during the day, on a guided tour. It was quiet. They could hear their footsteps echo off the walls. Creepy.

They walked down a corridor full of cells. One of the cells was open. They quickened their pace. Inside that cell was Mulch. He looked unconscious. "There he is," Holly said smiling.

"I don't think the kidnappers would leave him out like that without a guard or someone," Artemis said.

"You're right," said Holly. She picked up a loose piece of cement and tossed it through the open cell door. Immediately the door closed and "Mulch" disappeared into thin air.

"I knew it," Artemis said. "It was a trap."

"We have to be more careful in the future," Lauryn said.

The three of them moved on. They came to a part of the hallway where another hall crossed it. There were three possible ways. "Now if I were a kidnapper, where would I hide?" Holly asked herself.

"Someplace that wouldn't be found by tourists or staff," Lauryn completed. "I seem to remember there being a closed off section of this prison. That would be the perfect place. I don't remember where it is though."

"We should split up," Holly said. She tossed Lauryn and Artemis walkie-talkies. I brought two along in case when we found Mulch we had to split up for some reason."

"Oh, sure," Artemis said. "But…um…are you sure we should split up?"

"What? You scared?"

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"Don't worry. If you get in any trouble, call me or Lauryn."

"We'd better get moving, huh?" Lauryn interrupted. "Before the first shift of staff gets here."

Holly went ahead, Artemis and Butler went to the left and Lauryn went to the right.

The ex-LEP captain walked silently down the corridor. It felt creepy being in a prison at night. But she had been in creepier places before so it didn't bother her too much. It wasn't long before she saw a security camera. Fortunately, her helmet allowed her to see the eye span of the lens. Carefully, she flew up near the camera and wrapped a piece of tape around it. But this wasn't just any tape. It prevented the camera from seeing anything moving. Holly flew back down and tiptoed past safely. She did this with every security camera she came across.

"Artemis, Lauryn, do you read me?" Holly said into her helmet.

"Yes," Artemis replied. "No trouble yet. But we'll have to go to the security booth to wipe our images from the cameras."

"I hear you, captain," Butler said. "Same here."

"Yeah," Lauryn said. "What he said."

"No you won't," said a new voice. It was Foaly. "I wiped your images already. The cameras won't see a thing. You know that tape you wrapped around the camera's, Holly? You don't have to now; I can do that from here. Unlike in Chicago years ago."

"Foaly!" Holly said smiling. "You're with us."

"Yeah, but what's the mud girl doing here? I thought she was mind wiped."

"It's a long story, I'll tell you when I get back to HQ," said Holly.

Artemis quit the conversation to concentrate on finding Mulch. "Where would Mulch be?" Artemis asked himself.

"Stay close, Artemis," Butler warned. "I don't like it." He glanced around suspiciously. As if on cue, a huge net fell from the ceiling, trapping them both. "Don't move, Artemis," Butler said. But Artemis couldn't help but move…And the net kept getting tighter and tighter until soon he couldn't move at all. He could hardly breathe. His walkie-talkie vibrated with a voice speaking through it. "Artemis," Holly said, "usual check up. What's up?"

Artemis barely managed a slight "Help." But Foaly's equipment it whisper sensitive so Holly could hear him.

"Artemis," she said, "what's your status?"

Artemis was silent. He couldn't speak. "Artemis!" Holly said frantically. "Can you speak? What's your status?" Artemis remained silent. "Hang on. I'm coming."

Lauryn walked silently through the dark corridor. Maybe if her genius didn't save her from what might lie ahead, her athletic ability might. _Oh great_, she rolled her eyes, _I've become the classic Mary Sue. I'm a genius and physically fit. The only thing missing is Artemis falling madly in love with me. I hope that never happens._

All her thoughts almost distracted her from the voices. She made a mental note to keep from getting too distracted in the future.

"I think we should just dump him in the water," a voice said. It sounded angry. "He's gotta be the most annoying little hairball I've ever seen, not to mention my brother."

"Not until he tells us where he put the money," said a female voice. "Then we dump him."

Lauryn was immediately curious. The voices came from a second hallway that was roped off. Lauryn grinned.

**A/N: Done with this chapter. Yay!! Now I'm getting to the exciting part! Keep reading and reviewing!**


	11. Unexpected Rescue Gone Wrong

Chapter ten: Unexpected Rescue Gone Wrong

"Wow," Holly said, looking at Artemis and Butler in the net, "How'd you get yourselves into this mess? Couldn't you just break free?"

Artemis looked at Holly as if saying "just get me out of here."

Holly caught that look and cut them loose with by frying the "ropes" with her neutrino. They weren't ropes. More like some sort of metal.

"I'd better check up on Lauryn," Holly said. "Lauryn, do you hear me?"

"Do you hear me?" Lauryn's walkie-talkie buzzed. She immediately turned it off. Can't risk the kidnappers hearing her.

"You don't have to dump me," a voice said. Obviously Mulch. "Don't you like me the way I am?"

"Quiet, you," the female said.

Lauryn tiptoed in quietly. She was risking a lot. The kidnappers might see her. She had limited time to come up with a plan. She reached in her pocket. What did she have that would distract them for a while? She went back into the other hall, turning on her walkie-talkie. "Holly," she whispered, "Holly, hear me?"

"Lauryn! You really scared us, Mud Girl!"

"I need your help distracting some people."

"I'm coming."

"No, that'll take too long. I need you to talk through the walkie-talkie. This thing has a self destruct, correct?"

"Yes…What are you getting at, Mud Girl?"

"I'm going to toss the walkie-talkie where the kidnappers are. I need you to distract them. Not exactly the best plan but it should be sufficient."

"The risks are high."

"The price to pay for a rescue."

"All right," static came from the walkie-talkie as Holly sighed. "Foaly will destroy it when you're done."

Lauryn carefully tossed the walkie-talkie into a group of kidnappers. No turning back now.

"Hey you!" Foaly's voice came from the walkie-talkie. "Over here!"

Ten heads turned away from Mulch. Quickly and silently, Lauryn ran over to Mulch.

"Who are you?" Mulch whispered.

"Escape now, talk later," Lauryn whispered back.

Nine heads were still turned toward the walkie-talkie. One head was not. Instead it was watching Lauryn and Mulch. "People!" the lady with the red-hair said. "While you are all distracted by this radio device, our prisoner and his accomplice are getting away."

They were on them in seconds. Mulch didn't even have time to dig himself to safety. Soon their arms were tied and they were secured to the bars of the prison window.

One of the members of the gang fell to the floor unconscious. Several more followed. Behind them stood Captain Holly Short.

"Holly!" Lauryn and Mulch said simultaneously.

Butler also knocked out a few. Artemis mostly stayed at the sidelines. The few remaining drew weapons and aimed at the three rescuers. One of the remaining was the red-haired woman. She had a revolver in her clenched fist. She fired at them several times. The first shots didn't hit anybody or anything, but the last one hit Lauryn square in the chest, millimeters to the right of her heart. A fatal wound. She looked down at the bleeding hole in her shirt wide eyed. She then collapsed, motionless, and hung there, limp, from her ropes, blood leaking from her chest.


	12. More Than Loss

Chapter eleven: More Than Loss

Artemis couldn't quite grasp what had just happened. Lauryn, a pretty, intelligent, athletic, funny girl had just been shot and apparently killed. He stared, shocked, at her limp body. Holly, however, took it a different way.

In one motion she drew her Neutrino 3000 and shot the remaining kidnappers down. She had her Neutrino on the highest setting. Those humans would be lucky if they ever woke up. But Lauryn, it was likely she would never wake up. More than likely.

Butler cut her from her ropes and checked for a pulse. "Artemis," he said softly. Artemis feared what he would say next. "Artemis, she's…she's gone." There was no pulse.

"No!" he cried, running up. Butler laid her on the ground. Her lifeless eyes stared into space behind her glasses. "Heal," he whispered holding back tears. Blue sparks scurried down his fingers. The magic sealed the wound all right, but Lauryn stayed where she was. She didn't move. She didn't breathe.

Artemis felt heavy with loss. More than loss. Artemis had only experienced this feeling twice. Once in the En Fin restaurant back in Europe and once in Hybras. How many times must he put his friends in such dangerous situations that it cost them their life? Friend. He had never thought of Lauryn as his friend. But now that he thought about it, it seemed natural. Lauryn was his friend. He had never realized it till now. And now she was dead. Tears ran down his cheeks.

Holly knelt beside him and draped an arm over his shoulders, comforting him. He looked over at her. She was crying too. Even if she hadn't known Lauryn like this, she would have cried. Lauryn was thirteen. She would have been fourteen in four days. Christmas was tomorrow. No, today now. It was three in the morning. Christmas morning.

Nobody noticed Mulch dig away into the dark earth.


	13. Genius

Chapter twelve: Genius

Artemis barely noticed the chute ride down. He kept glancing at Lauryn but quickly looked away. He couldn't bear to see his friend dead.

"What happened?" Foaly asked when Holly showed him Lauryn's limp body.

"She was shot by one of the kidnappers," Holly replied grimly.

"I'm guessing you healed the wound," Foaly said examining the bloodied shirt.

"No, Artemis did."

"How long has it been?"

"Two and a half minutes," Artemis said glancing at his watch.

Foaly drew a hand across his brow. "That's a long time," he whistled.

"Could you please help her?" Artemis begged. "Like Butler years ago?"

"I'll try my best."

Artemis and Butler sat on the couch in Foaly's tech room and waited. Artemis had his head in his hands.

"I don't know why I let her come," he said miserably. "I could have prevented this."

"There wasn't anything you could have done," Butler said putting a hand on his employer's shoulder. "She would have come whether you let her or not. She knew the risks. She was a smart girl."

"_Is_ a smart girl," Artemis said. "Foaly and Holly are going to save her."

Butler looked at his employer. Did Artemis just consider her a friend or was it something more?

Artemis seemed to read his mind. "She's just a friend. But she is a friend and friends should look out for each other."

"It was mostly blood loss," Foaly said. "That and being shot in the chest did it."

"What are we going to do about the blood?" Holly asked.

"Give her more, of course," said Foaly matter-of-factly. Carefully, he created a new wound where her old wound used to be and took out the bullet. "The bullet didn't go as deep as I thought. We could fix this."

"O positive," he said, picking up a fairy communicator. "Hi, Haven Blood Bank? This is Foaly. I'll need a couple units of blood. O positive. No, wait. Make that a lot of units. We're not exactly working on a pixie here."

Minutes later a very clean truck pulled up to LEP doors. The sprite driving wore a white medical coat. He put on a pair of gloves and handed the blood to Foaly in the tech room. "I trust you know how to use this."

"Of course. I'm Foaly. I know everything."

He went searching in his cabinets and brought out a 10 gage needle. He shot the blood into Lauryn's arm. "I don't know why we keep human size 10 gage needles around. It's not everyday I work on humans."

After she got all the blood she needed, she was still dead. They expected no more. "We have to reboot her brain," Foaly said. "I hope you're full to the tips of your ears with magic."

"Almost, I had to do a little shielding on the way over here," Holly said guiltily.

"Good enough. Now you see the wound I made to get the bullet out? You'll have to do the same thing you did with Butler."

"Oh great," Holly moaned. "More sticking my fingers in other people's insides."

"It's for the mud girl. Remember that."

Holly gingerly placed her fingers inside Lauryn's wound. "Heal," she whispered. And the magic scurried down her fingers.

Lauryn's body went through the same process as Butler's did outside the cryogenics hospital. She tossed and turned and writhed on the stretcher. "Hold her head still!" Foaly instructed.

Outside the tech booth, Artemis and Butler were still waiting. They heard noises from the tech booth. "Hold her head still!" they heard Foaly screech. Butler jumped up. He still couldn't stand up but he was alright bending over. Artemis, however, stayed seated on the couch as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

"You may sit down, Butler," Artemis said. "Nothing is wrong."

"Is this what happened when Holly saved me?"

"Yes. Exactly."

Minutes later, Holly and Foaly emerged from the booth. Both looked exhausted. Exhausted, but happy. "Artemis!" Holly exclaimed running over to him. She gripped him by the shoulders. "She's alive! She's alive!" She hugged him.

"I hope she hasn't gained fifteen years, too," Artemis said.

"Not nearly," Foaly said. His grin looked too big for his face. "In fact, she's only gained two!"

"Amazing!" Artemis said. Then his face fell. "How long will she be out?"

"Three days at the very least."

"We can't wait that long. Think about her parents."

"That is a problem. Luckily, it's only a minor problem."

"Minor? How can it be minor?"

"Do you think I could go six years without updating my stuff?" Foaly said. "I've completely improved the time stop. Now, it can go backwards in time and forwards in time. If I put the time field around Lauryn only, I could go forwards in time for her about three days. I'm only doing this because it's the only way. She may loose a few brain cells or her IQ might decrease but she's too smart for it to matter that much."

"How long will it take?"

"Maybe…" he thought a moment, "half an hour."

Half an hour later, Lauryn came out of the tech booth looking confused. "What hap…" She didn't get to finish the question because Artemis ran to her and hugged her tight. "Wait a minute," she said. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"You're in Haven," Artemis answered. "Do you remember Alcatraz?"

Lauryn thought a moment. "Yes," she said finally. "All I remember is being tied up by those jerks. What happened?"

"You don't want to know."

"So what happened?" Lauryn asked. It must have been the fiftieth time.

"Nothing," Artemis lied. "You were simply shot and unconscious."

"I know that's not the truth, Arty," Lauryn said, "but if you're not going to tell me, I guess I'd better not ask."

Artemis looked at Foaly. "Genius, Foaly," he said, "You are a genius."


	14. Nothing's Fine

Chapter thirteen: Nothing's Fine

Artemis, Lauryn and Butler arrived in San Francisco at 6:30 am. Quickly and quietly, they came in through the basement door. "Oh, darn it!" Lauryn said.

"What is it?" Artemis said, hoping it wasn't too serious.

"My mom's gonna kill me! I have to clean out the cat's litter box every day. I didn't do it yesterday!"

It turns out Lauryn's mom didn't kill her. Instead she made a batch of waffles with whipped cream, fruit, and syrup.

Artemis lounged on the couch while he read _War and Peace. _Not exactly the average teenager's first choice. Of course, Artemis was not the average teenager. Lauryn bounded up the stairs, her hair damp and ear phones over her ears. She hummed along to the song. Some rock song. Artemis couldn't understand how someone of Lauryn's intelligence could like something so…so immature. He didn't think very highly of rock artists. To him, they were just young people with wacky hair screaming into a microphone at the tops of their lungs. To his utter dismay, she took off the head phones and plugged the CD player into the stereo. It definitely was one of those wacky rock songs. A woman was screaming at the top of her lungs: "EVERY THING'S FINE! I'm hungry, I'm starving, I'm losing my mind, EVERYTHING'S FINE!"

He doubted that everything was fine.


	15. Homework

Chapter fourteen: Homework

"Lauryn!" Lila, Lauryn's younger sister called from the kitchen. "I need a cup. I'm thirsty. I can't reach the cups."

Lauryn sighed and got her little sister a cup. Lauryn was lucky. She was tall. Very tall. Good for basketball and reaching things.

"Hey, mom?" she said at the kitchen table. "For some reason the sudoku puzzle just got harder over night. I can't figure it out."

Artemis stared at her. Was it her death and recent revival that caused her to find easy things hard? Was she not still a genius?

"Lila! Go away!" Lauryn snapped. She had her head phones on again and a math book on her lap.

"_E, er, san, si, u, liu,"_ Lila repeated in an annoying tone.

"Lila!" Lauryn screamed. "Get your annoying little butt away from me!" Normally, Lauryn would have used a much stronger word than "butt" but her parents were around. "I'm doing my homework here! Get away!"

You could see the smoke coming out of her ears at this time. Lila ran off giggling and Lauryn bent over her math book. "Three thousand nine hundred and fifty six multiplied by seven hundred eighty four is…um…I know this." She counted on her fingers and wrote some numbers down, counted and wrote. "Three million one hundred one thousand five hundred seven, right?"

"Three million one hundred one thousand five hundred four," Artemis corrected.

"Oh," Lauryn said, biting her nails. "I knew that!"

Normally, Artemis would have rolled his eyes. But this was completely wrong. Lauryn was supposed to be unusually smart. Here she was asking for help on her homework. He was worried.

**Sorry about the short chapter. I have writer's block right now. Yeah, that's right! Lauryn isn't a genius anymore!!!! Whoohoo!!!******


	16. A Plan

Chapter fifteen: A Plan

"How are we supposed to get that gang that killed Lauryn arrested?" Artemis asked Holly through the communicator.

"Don't ask me, mud boy," she replied. "You're the genius."

"If we could lure the police to them…but how will we do that?"

"I dunno. Call them?"

"No, that would be too suspicious."

"Bring them to the cop station?"

"That would be too suspicious also."

"How about a loud noise?"

"That would work, but…"

"But what, Mud Boy?"

"That would alarm them and they would have plenty of time to run."

There was a knock on the door. It was Lauryn. "Yo, people," she said, holding up two fingers in a peace sign.

"Hello, Lauryn," Artemis said turning to her. "We're working on arresting the kidnappers."

"How're we gonna bust them?"

"We do not know how we are going to 'bust' them as you so immaturely put it."

"Well sorry if I'm not the genius I used to be," Lauryn sulked.

"We need something that would attract the police. Holly, what would catch your attention?"

"Well, gunshots, of course. And maybe a beacon."

"That's it then," Lauryn said, "gunshots and a beacon."

"Where are we going to get them?" Artemis said.

"I'm sure Foaly can get something."

"How about this?" Foaly said holding up a large flashlight.

"It's sure heavy," Holly said taking it out of his hands.

"I'm sure you'd be able to handle it."

"What about noise?"

"Would you say it would be too dangerous to use a real gun?"

"Yes."

"Fine then. This will have to do." Foaly handed Holly a bag of what looked like little white pills.

"What are these?"

"You throw them on the ground and they sound like gunshots. Completely safe. We use them to scare burglars and petty thieves."

"I owe you a barrel of carrots when I come back," Holly said as she left.

It was very quiet on the roof of Alcatraz. Lauryn stared down at the ground. She had never been afraid of heights but sharp rocks were scattered along the shore below. Fierce waves crashed against them and exaggerated the rocks' size. Great gusts of wind beat her back. Lauryn swallowed hard. Just thinking about falling down there gave her the creeps.

"Should we turn on the beacon?" Holly asked. Her finger hovered above the "on" button.

"Yes," Artemis replied.

A giant beam of light flooded from the beacon. It lit up a small circle of cloud. Suddenly a dog shape appeared in the light. All eyes turned to Lauryn.

Quickly she pulled her hand away from the beacon. "Sorry," she muttered.

"Now," Artemis said, "Holly the gunshots."

The ex-Captain dropped some of the white pills on the ground. Bang! Bang! Everyone covered their ears. A small light appeared in the fog down by the water. "Yes!" Artemis said. "Here they come!"

Policemen and women came out of the boat and onto shore. Some stayed by the door, others went inside. The police outside shined a light into the windows. Lauryn, Artemis, Butler and Holly held their breaths on the roof. After what seemed like a century, cops came out with the members of the gang. Their hands were tied behind their backs.

The humans and fairy smiled.

**That's it? The gang is caught. Lauryn's alive (though her IQ may have gone down a bit). That's just it? End of story? Not on your life!! Next chapter coming up! Don't forget to comment!**


	17. Hope

Chapter sixteen: Hope

"Thanks, Artemis," Foaly said. "Thanks Mud Girl. You helped a lot. If not for you, and Butler, Mulch, here, would have been pushing up daisies." Foaly nudged Mulch. "Say thank you."

"Yeah, uh, thanks," Mulch said.

"No prob, stinky," Lauryn said. "You can count on us, eh, Arty?"

"Yeah," Artemis said. "Don't call me Arty."

"Time to get you guys home," said Holly. "Let's go."

It was days after the Alcatraz incident. In a few days Artemis' family would be returning to Ireland. Hopefully nothing bad would turn up in Haven. But sometimes hope doesn't turn out.

**ONE MORE CHAPTER!!!**


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue

Foaly gazed at his computers. What beautiful things they were. How could he ever live without them? One of them started beeping in alarm. He rolled his swivel chair over there. Someone was calling! It was the manager of the new building downtown to house the demons after their home was destroyed. The demons were angry…

**The End**

**There's going to be a third Fairywings! Keep your eyes peeled for Fairywings III: Demon Uprising!!**

**Credits—**

**Writer: Artyfowl3**

**Editor: Mary Jue and Ted Kuster**

**Special thanks to:**

**Carolyn Fasel—for support and advice**

**Kai Lyons-Kuster—for support and advice**

**Mary Jue—for editing and advice**

**Ted Kuster—for editing and advice**

**Fanfiction and Fangathering members—for their patience and reviews**

**Thanks!!**


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